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My brain only just now processed the fine print on our Alaska cruise itinerary: "Disembarkation usually begins 2 hours after docking."

So, if the docking time for Seattle is shown at 8:00 a.m., does that mean that no one is getting off the ship before 10:00 a.m.?

Will that be enough time for us to disembark and catch a train that is leaving at 11:25 a.m.? (Keeping in mind that Amtrak says to be there 30 minutes early, then allowing ten minutes to get a cab and get to the station... so, off the ship before 10:45 a.m.?)

I'm used to Carnival where the new passengers are already on board with drinks in their hands by 11, lol. This is our first Norwegian cruise, so I don't know how easy (or not) it is to disembark. Thanks!

My brain only just now processed the fine print on our Alaska cruise itinerary: "Disembarkation usually begins 2 hours after docking."

So, if the docking time for Seattle is shown at 8:00 a.m., does that mean that no one is getting off the ship before 10:00 a.m.?

Will that be enough time for us to disembark and catch a train that is leaving at 11:25 a.m.? (Keeping in mind that Amtrak says to be there 30 minutes early, then allowing ten minutes to get a cab and get to the station... so, off the ship before 10:45 a.m.?)

I'm used to Carnival where the new passengers are already on board with drinks in their hands by 11, lol. This is our first Norwegian cruise, so I don't know how easy (or not) it is to disembark. Thanks!

Usually The Pearl docks somewhere around 6:15 A.M.-6:30 A.M. You should be able to leave the ship about 8 A.M. If the traffic is not bad, The King Street Station (Amtrak) is bout 10 minutes south by cab.
You really should be on the back deck of The Pearl as She glides down Elliott Bay and makes a sweeping turn to dock. If it is a clear day, Mount Rainier to the the south could look like a giant strawberry ice cream cone with the sun coming up behind Her.

Thank you both for the reassurances and for the scenic tips. I'm about to arrange to rent a better telephoto lens than the one I have (both in quality and in reach) for the cruise, so it's exciting to have another shooting opportunity to keep in mind.

We always wait until the last group to disembark because we live in Seattle. We're usually off the ship before 10am anyway, so if you're wanting to be off earlier, it should be no problem. Barring a random immigration check or anything like that.

We disembarked from the Pearl June 10th. We chose the 9:00 am color tag, but our color was called approximately 8:35. We still didn't even begin disembarking until 9:15. Even with walking across the street to retrieve our vehicles, loading all the luggage and power chair into the van, etc. We were on the road by 10:00 or so.

My brain only just now processed the fine print on our Alaska cruise itinerary: "Disembarkation usually begins 2 hours after docking."

So, if the docking time for Seattle is shown at 8:00 a.m., does that mean that no one is getting off the ship before 10:00 a.m.?

Will that be enough time for us to disembark and catch a train that is leaving at 11:25 a.m.? (Keeping in mind that Amtrak says to be there 30 minutes early, then allowing ten minutes to get a cab and get to the station... so, off the ship before 10:45 a.m.?)

I'm used to Carnival where the new passengers are already on board with drinks in their hands by 11, lol. This is our first Norwegian cruise, so I don't know how easy (or not) it is to disembark. Thanks!

We were on the Jewel last week and did the easy walk off. We were actually off by 7:30

My Cruise Consultant warned me that my flight was too early and wouldnt sell me a bus transfer. So I bought one from the guy standing at the pier. If it wasnt for all the detours in Seattle, we wouldve been to the airport a half hour earlier than we were. It didnt matter, we still sat around at the airport for a hour because I was so far ahead of schedule. (My flight was at 11)

Some schmo on the bus kept yelling at the bus driver about how he was going to miss his flight. I thought 2 things. A. He was a jerk, as it wasnt the bus drivers fault there were detours. B. He was a jerk for scheduling his flight wayyy too early. And here I am worried about an 11 am flight...

Anyway, I think they say 2 hours because thats a safe assumption about what you might get if there was a customs delay and you had to collect your luggage.

On my next cruise I plan on taking that 2 hours into account so I dont finish my vacation off with worries.

We were on the Jewel last week and did the easy walk off. We were actually off by 7:30

My Cruise Consultant warned me that my flight was too early and wouldnt sell me a bus transfer. So I bought one from the guy standing at the pier. If it wasnt for all the detours in Seattle, we wouldve been to the airport a half hour earlier than we were. It didnt matter, we still sat around at the airport for a hour because I was so far ahead of schedule. (My flight was at 11)

Some schmo on the bus kept yelling at the bus driver about how he was going to miss his flight. I thought 2 things. A. He was a jerk, as it wasnt the bus drivers fault there were detours. B. He was a jerk for scheduling his flight wayyy too early. And here I am worried about an 11 am flight...

Anyway, I think they say 2 hours because thats a safe assumption about what you might get if there was a customs delay and you had to collect your luggage.

On my next cruise I plan on taking that 2 hours into account so I dont finish my vacation off with worries.

A quick option direct to the airport is using the light rail. Easy if you don't have any mobility limitations and 1 rolling bag. There is an elevator a block from NCL's dock, and a short walk to West Lake station, up Pine, which is up hill.

We just got off the Pearl on 6/24, and it was super quick. We selected the 10am luggage tags, but were called at 9:05am to disembark. Even with the crowd we were through customs and in our car by 9:30am.